Coin selector



J. GOTTFRIED COIN SELECTOR March 9, 1937.

Filed Sept. 29, 1954 4 w W x A TTORNEY,

Patented Mar. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5Claims.

This invention relates to coin selectors, and contemplates a device of this character equipped for the rejectionof coins or slugs which are deficient in any one of a variety of respects.

It is common practice to provide coin selectors with a small magnet so arrangedas to effect the rejection of magnetic materials and to direct non-magnetic coins through passages provided with devices for testing such properties as their 10 weight, diameter, thickness and hardness. Usually separatemeans are provided for determining each of these properties, so that the apparatus becomes unduly complicated and its complication leads to inefflciency and inaccurate results.

Quite recently use has been made of strong magnetic fields for separating coins according to their 'electrical conductivity. Such apparatus, while eifective for the purpose for which it is intended, is obviously incapable of effecting the re- 20 jection of coins or slugs having substantially the electrical properties of genuine wins but being defective in some other respect.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a simple and effective appliance for deter- 25 mining such properties as the size, weight, hardness, surface roughness and surface continuity,

of coins, and to effect the rejection of coins which are deficient or improper in any of these respects.

It is a further object of the invention to combine such a tester with devices for the separation of magnetic slugs and with means for effecting a separation in accordance with electrical properties.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts representative embodiments of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, of a coin selector comprising one embodiment of the present invention.

'Fig. ,2 is a transverse section, substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse section showing a modification.

Fig. 4 is a similar transverse section showing a second modification.

The selector comprises a coin receiving passage defined by the lateral walls l and II. To the side of wall it is secured a small magnet l2 for the purpose of causing the rejection of slugs of magnetic material. Such slugs are stopped 55 and held in the coin receiving passage, and to effect their removal therefrom the wall portion III is hinged at it to arms l4 extending transversely from wall H. A finger IS in the upper portion of the coin receiving passage effects the separation of magnetic slugs from the magnet, whereupon they are elected through a chute l6 fixed to the outside of the'wall II. The movement of the hinged wall portion l0 about pivot I3 is effected whenever a coin or slug is placed in the coin receiving passage. For this purpose, a lever l1 pivoted at! 8 to the outside of wall I l is provided with a roller l9 extending across the entrance of the coin passage. A spring 20 connects a bracket extending transversely from arm I! with an arm extending transversely from the wall In.

From thecoin receiving passage between the walls l0 and I l non-magnetic coins are directed downwardly through a substantially vertical passage 2| between wall'll and a plate 22 suitably spaced from and joined to wall H. At the lower end of thevertical passage 2| is an anvil 23 having a forwardly and downwardly inclined face 24. Coins rebounding from the anvil are directed upwardly and forwardly into a widened passage between wall I I and the forward portion of plate 22. Somewhat below the face 24 of the anvil and spaced forwardly therefrom a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the largest coin which can be placed in the coin receiving passage is a coin separator 25 having an extended upper face which is inclined forwardly and downwardly. Acceptable coins are projected from the anvil 23 in such a manner as to engage the separator 25 and drop through a passage 26 between the forward edge of said separator and the side wall spacer plate 21. The margin of this plate curves downwardly and rearwardly, forming a surface down which the coin is rolled. Near the lower end of the spacer plate are the poles 28 of a magnet which furnishes a field of sufiicient intensity to materially deflect coins and slugs having a conductivity equal to or greater than that of coin silver. The particular selector illustrated is designed for the acceptance of coins of low conductivity such as those of nickel. A coin separator 29 having an upwardly projecting point and reversely sloping faces effects the separation of coins which are materially deflected by the field between the magnetic poles 28 from those which are less deflected; the deflected coins dropping through a rejected coin passage defined by the front face of coin separator 29 and the margin 30 of plate 21, and the accepted coins leaving the separator through a passage defined by the rear face of the separator 28 and a side wall spacer strip 3i.

The parts thus far described are not novel per se; however, they are elements of novel combina- 5 tions including the mechanism which will now be described. The present invention contemplates a controlling device which effects the rejection of coins that are light, undersize, soft, rough surfaced, or lack a continuous surface. The embodilO ment of this device selected for illustrative purposes operates on full size coins both before and after their impact upon anvil 23, and comprises a finger or feeler member 32 extending transversely into the coin passage above and opposite the forward portion of the anvil. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, this member is of a spring metal such as bronze and comprises an inturned end adapted to furnish a limited area. of contact with the surface of a coin. This feeler is so proportioned and designed as to exert on the face of a coin the amount of pressure necessary for the performance of its functions without unduly retarding the passage of. proper coins. It is so located with respect to 2 the vertical coin passage 2| andthe face 24 of the anvil as to be engaged and deflected outwardly by coins dropping through said vertical coin passage, and to be in engagement with the face of coins of full size at the time such coins are 30 deflected by impact with the anvil.

The feeler member 32 causes the rejection of coins having any one of a variety ofv defects either by stopping and holding them or by so retarding their movement that they fall to the left of separator and through the-passage for rejected coins. If a coin is undersize, on descending through the passage 2| it will pass between the feeler 32 and the side wall spacer strip 33, and on being deflected by the anvil will engage the inturned end of the feeler finger. Its motion is thus halted and, instead of. passing to the right of separator 25, it will drop directly through passage 34 between the anvil 23 and separator 25 and thence through the rejected coin passage 35 between separator 29 and wall 30.

If a coin is of proper size but the surface is rough, its movement upon being projected from the face of the anvil will be so retarded by its engagement with feeler 32 that it will drop through the passage 34 and be rejected. A soft coin leaves the anvil face with but a low velocity and its velocity isfurther retarded by feeler flnger to cause its rejection. Coins which though soft are resilient are rejected due to the high friction between their soft material and the feeler. A coin which though of proper size and of. a material having the proper resiliency is lighter than a genuine coin will likewise be rejected, lacking suflicient momentum to overcome resistance of the feeler. A coin lacking a continuous surface such as one having a hole will be halted' by the engagement of the feeler finger in such hole.

Since coins or slugs may have such properties that their movement will not only be retarded 65 but they will be retained and held in the coin passage by the feeler flnger, it is desirable that means be provided for withdrawing this finger to permit their release. For this purpose, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the feeler may be 70 mounted on the hinged wall section i 0 of the coin receiving passage. Thus, the insertion of a second coin into the apparatus will effect the release not only of coins held in the coin receiving passage by the small magnet l2 but likewise coins 75 held by feeler finger 32.

It will be obviousthat the feeler finger may take various forms, of which the bronze spring above-described is merely representative. Another form is illustrated in Fig. 3, wherein the feeler is a substantially rigid lever 40 pivoted at 4i to such a member as the side plate 10 or an extension thereof and urged into the coin passage by suitable means such as a spring 42. If desired, means may be provided for adjusting the tension of such spring. Fig. 4 illustrates a second modification, in which the feeler 46 is of spring metal but its supporting devices comprise an 'adjusting screw 46 for varying the spring tension. It will be apparent that the use of such a feeler finger in any of the forms described, as well as other forms, enables the separation and rejection of spurious coins and slugs the defects of which are of such a nature that their rejection by means hitherto known has been extraordinarily dimcult if not impossible.

It will be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are typical and i1- lustrative only, the invention being susceptible to embodiment in other forms, all falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a coin selector, in combination, means defining a coin passage, an anvil in said coin passage, and a member projecting laterally into said coin passage for engagement and deflection by coins approaching said anvil and so positioned with respect to said passage and said anvil that a properly sized coin remains engaged by said member during impact with said anvil but an undersized coin passes clear of said member prior to impact with said anvil, said member thereupon engaging the edge of said undersized coin and by such engagement effecting its rejection.

2. In a coin selector, in combination, means defining a coin passage, an anvil in said coin passage, and a member projecting laterally into said coin passage, said member being adapted to effect the rejection of an undersized coin by engagement with its edge and to effect the rejection of coins of improper surface characteristics, deficient hardness or deficient weight, by engagement with their surface.

3. In a coin selector, in combination, means defining a coin passage, an anvil in said coin passage, a magnetic field in said coin passage,

means for directing coins properly projected from said anvil through said magnetic field, a rejected coin exit adjacent said magnetic field for egress of coins over-deflected by said magnetic field, a retarding feeler in the path of coins projected from said anvil, and means for directing spurious coins having such characteristics as to be over-retarded by said feeler directly through said rejected coin exit.

4. In a coin selector, in combination, coin receiving means comprising a hinged wall section and devices actuated by the insertion of a coin for displacing said hinged wall section, means defining a coin passage, an anvil in said coin passage, and a feeler member projecting laterally into said coin passage so positioned as to be in engagement with a face of a properly sized coin at the time of its impact with said anvil and to control the movement of coins projected from said anvil in such a manner as to effect the separation of genuine coins from spurious coins, said feeler member being supported on said hinged wall section whereby the insertion of a remain in engagement with a face ofa properly sized coin during impact with said anvil and by such engagement to direct genuine coins away from said anvil into one pasage and to direct spurious coins away from said anvil to a rejection 5 outlet.

JOHN GO'I'I'FRIED. 

